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“Romham” in Irish (before me): Meaning and Where It Comes From

Romham means before me. It is the preposition roimh (before) and the pronoun mé (me) joined into one word. Irish does this with every simple preposition; the joined words are called prepositional pronouns, forainmneacha réamhfhoclacha.
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Where “romham” comes from

Take the preposition, add the pronoun, and they fuse into one word. You never say “roimh mé” in Irish.

roimhbefore +
méme
=
romhambefore me

Before, and welcome or fear: fáilte romhat = welcome (a welcome before you), tá eagla orm roimhe = I am afraid of him.

“Romham” in the table of “roimh”

Every form of roimh with a pronoun. Romham is the first (I, me) row. Click any form to see its own page.

PronounIrishMeaningExample
mé (me)romhambefore meBhí sé ag fanacht romham ag an stáisiún.He was waiting for me at the station.
tú (you)romhatbefore youFáilte romhat go hÉirinn, a chara.Welcome to Ireland, my friend.
sé (him / it)roimhebefore him / itTá eagla orm roimhe.I am afraid of him.
sí (her / it)roimpibefore her / itTá eagla ar na páistí roimpi.The children are afraid of her.
sinn (us)romhainnbefore usBhí an múinteoir romhainn sa seomra ranga.The teacher was in the classroom before us.
sibh (you (plural))romhaibhbefore you (plural)Fáilte romhaibh go léir anocht.Welcome to you all tonight.
siad (them)rompubefore themNíl eagla ar bith orm rompu.I am not afraid of them at all.

“Romham” in sentences

Bhí sé ag fanacht romham ag an stáisiún.
He was waiting for me at the station.
Chuir mé romham é a dhéanamh.
I decided to do it.

“mé” with the other prepositions

The same pronoun, mé (me), joined to the other prepositions.

“Romham” in Irish: frequently asked questions

What does romham mean in Irish?

romham means before me: the preposition roimh (before) joined to the pronoun mé (me). The next form is romhat, before you.

Is romham one word or two?

One word. A simple preposition and a pronoun always fuse in Irish, so you never say “roimh mé”. These fused words are prepositional pronouns, forainmneacha réamhfhoclacha.

What are all the forms of roimh with pronouns?

romham (before me), romhat (before you), roimhe (before him / it), roimpi (before her / it), romhainn (before us), romhaibh (before you (plural)), rompu (before them).

When do I use romham?

Before, and welcome or fear: fáilte romhat = welcome (a welcome before you), tá eagla orm roimhe = I am afraid of him. For example: Bhí sé ag fanacht romham ag an stáisiún., He was waiting for me at the station.

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